Chapter 14

The snow has started to fall violently and more frequently. There is no one walking the streets now, not even patrols. The gates were all shut, doors and windows closed and barricaded, and hearths continuously lit 24 hours a day and seven times a week. In the hearth of the orphanage, there is a stone at its centre that produced flames and gave off warmth. The children sat in front of it, either talking to another child, drawing or writing, or simply sleeping. At the time, the blizzard would continue fall for at least a month.

Frianne had finished cooking food and called out the children. She placed food on a bowl and Aniem would give it to the kids. They were happy and content with the warm food and warm hearth, and most especially with each other. But occasionally, their smiles turn upside down and a face of worry and fear fill their faces as the loud screams and shouts from the floor above rain down on those below it.

It has been a few days since the downpour started and about a week since Esia isolated herself in her room. Frianne continues to worry and regularly bring her food. She tries knocking but no one answers. She tries opening the door, but wouldn’t budge. For quite some time, Frianne returns to Esia’s room only to find that the food she had prepared for her hadn’t been touched, let alone consumed. With nothing she could do, she took the food away.

Their lives in the orphanage were pretty much the same as every winter but with the absence of Esia and replaced with Aniem. Fortunately, they were close with him and think of him as an elder brother who works but constantly visits them to play. Some aspired to become a hunter because of him. One time, Aniem had said that Esia was a much better hunter than himself but no one believed him. They never saw Esia fight let alone hunt in the forest as she was always inside the orphanage teaching them and cooking food.

The screams coming from Esia’s room late at night has drastically reduced. But the food yet remains untouched. Frianne begins to worry more than she ever had. She believed that the smell of a pigsty would permeate from the other side of the room as Esia had not bathed or even noticed her step out of her room to secrete. To her surprise, there was no smell at all. She wondered how she shat and piss without leaving the room.

In the snow perhaps?

Frianne’s mind drifted about, wondering where she does her business. She shook it off as it would nigh impossible. Firstly, being the snow not piling that high enough to reach the first floor and secondly being from quite a height still. She shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

A month has passed since Esia holed herself in her room. Frianne was slightly relieved. A few days ago, the plate that she has been leaving by the door had been cleaned off the food. She first thought that the children might have gone upstairs and ate it, but neither of them had even gone upstairs ever since the snow started to fall. They were frightened they might meet an unfamiliar Esia. With their answer, she smiled at the thought that Esia may be eating yet there was a tinge of uneasiness from not seeing Esia and from the children’s recent fear of her.

Snow had piled up so high that it partially covered the windows of the main hall. In the city of Heom and other neighbouring cities, towns, and villages, buildings and houses have a very large attic or a tall roof with a sealed trapdoor. It was so people could still leave the building even if majority of the building has been buried. It has also been sealed tight so water would not be able to leak inside. There are times where the snow continues to fall for about three months. Only a few houses had access to the outside. Once the snowfall decreases, those who were able to leave the building immediately did so to unbury other houses from snow.

All the residents of Heom that the blizzard only lasted for about a month. There are records saying that it had lasted for about three months, killing thousands. Aniem had gone to plough the snow blocking the main entrance. Frianne had wanted to go as well but was told stay inside instead. After all, she still had to teach the children and cook.

After a week of continuous ploughing , majority of the streets of the city had been cleared from snow, buildings had been uncovered and unburied, and other shops have opened business again. And Frianne had went away to buy foodstuff while Aniem and stay with the children.

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Have you heard of what happened over at the orphanage? A devil child was kidnapped and caused the keeper to go insane. That place is basically cursed now, ever since its establishment.

This is what you get from caring for a devil. Devils and demons, beast-kin and wild animals. All the same. They’re monsters that needs to be killed.

A friend of my husband said the bodies of the soldiers who tried to save the child were all killed. Mutilated. They’re raising demons there. This place will soon fall if the Count doesn’t do something about that cursed place.

The keeper’s acting all disheartened and emotionally unstable. But I bet she planned all this. Who knows, maybe the kids over there are truly innocent but the keeper has already been corrupted and perverse.

I heard a devil was responsible for the kidnapping. But they even kidnap other devils. It means even devils hate devil, especially one in that cursed orphanage.

As Frianne shopped at a stall, she her two ladies speaking in a loud voice, disregarding the fact that they were in an open space and in the eastern district where majority of residents support the orphanage.

“Don’t listen to all those rumours, Frianne. Ignore them all.” Madam Lecia comforted Frianne, who was buying some food from madam Lecia’s store when they overheard people spouting rumours about the orphanage.

“Yes, madam Lecia. It’s alright.” Frianne nodded while choosing to ignore the rumours.

Frosty breath escaped their mouths as they spoke to each other.

“They’re all good kids. None of them would even dare bring about a disaster.” Frianne said those words to mentally strengthen herself as well. “After all, they were raised by Esia and love her dearly.”

“Sure are. They’re quite the opposite of how Esia was during her childhood.” Madam Lecia closed her eyes in reminiscence as she remembered the young Esia hiding from her mother and wanting to go hunting and exposing herself to danger.

“Well, that story can be saved for another time. Don’t you have to return to the orphanage?”

“Ah, yes. I was a bit curious to how she was back then. Goodbye for now!” Frianne waved goodbye to madam Lecia and headed for the orphanage.

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Snow piled on the ground and ploughed away and the streets have become busier than ever. Merchant carriages and stalls lined up in open spaces, presenting their goods amidst the snow. Even if one says to go shopping at this time, it usually meant buying clothes, preserved food, or magic devices and tools that run on magic. There may be other paraphernalia, but those are usually ignored.

It was lively and somewhat festive. Beers and ales were even sold at low prices. It served its purpose well as a tool for spreading word and as a body warmer. But not all places are lively and vibrant as in the city centre. There are places that are completely isolated from the radiant world. A space with abundant darkness and teeth chattering coldness. The place was cold to begin with, having no source of heat or even a window where natural light enters. Add in the winter season, and you get this eerie space with icy walls and freezing temperature.

One door had just been shut and locked from the outside and coming out of the room was Eiulj, carrying a tray with little objects on it. She moved to the next door and placed her palm on it. A faint light illuminated for a bit and the door opened.

“Mrs. Balgrett, I’ve brought your medicines.” Eiulj spoke as the door swung opened.

“RAAGHH!” The woman, Mrs. Balgrett, had been chained at her limbs to the wall. Wrists, ankles, neck, and even the waist.

She thrashed around, trying to grab Eiulj or pull the chains the bind her. She was dishevelled and her eyes foggy. It was as if she was a feral beast trying to grab its prey.

“GIVE ME! THE MEDICINES!” Mrs. Balgrett howled while spitting saliva with every movement of her mouth.

“Yes, yes. Now stay still.” Eiulj instructed the berserk woman while standing a few inches from the tip of her fingers.

With her showing no sign of self-restraint, Eiulj placed the tray down and grabbed two pieces of a certain medication. With quick movements, she grabbed the mouth of Mrs. Balgrett and pinned her down on the floor. The monster tried clawing Eiulj off of her but it seems to be doing nothing. Her hands always slide off, as if she was grabbing something slippery. But it was just magic Eiulj had surrounded herself with.

While pinned down, Eiulj made a small gap in between her fingers that grabbed Mrs. Balgrett’s mouth. At the same time, she shoved and dropped the medicine she held in her other hand down the mouth of Mrs. Balgrett. She screamed in agony, thrashing violently to escape the clutches of Eiulj, but she won’t let her. After about a minute or so, Mrs. Balgrett had stopped moving but she was still breathing. Eiulj got up, picked up the tray with other medicines, and exited the room.

Teiyninya and Altafaigaman were waiting for her outside the room. They said they have finished the instructions given to them by Eiulj. After a brief praise, Eiulj told them to follow hew to report on other assistants’ conditions.

As they walked, they talked.

“Lady Eiulj, out of the 23 I’ve been assigned to, 15 died. Six of which was by hypothermia and the remaining 9 by drug overdose.” Altafaigaman first reported. “The last... tablet... caused them to convulse and bleed from their eyes, noses, ears, and even fingernails.” He continued.

“Around Seven tablets are the limit. I need to find a way to decrease the concentration while keeping the effects high.” Eiulj seemed to be estimating and thinking of other solutions to whatever she was now doing.

“From the 22 I was in charge of, 17 died. After letting them ingest the tablet, 17 of them also became a bloody mess. Two were sleeping and when I tried to wake them up, they did not respond. After feeding them the tablet, their heart and breathing just stopped. The other three already died by the time I entered.” Teiyninya also gave her report to Eiulj.

“Alright. Good work, you both. We’ll gather the corpses later and feed them to the saivaks.

“Understood.” Both responded in unison, letting a breath of sigh at the end.

“My Lady, if I may ask, what are these tablets for? They look just like pebbles.” Asked Teiyninya, while holding one in between her fingers, examining it closely.

“When congested, it warms the body equally. It’s like magic that surrounds something with heat. Problem is, it’s too potent and addictive that it could kill someone by rupturing their organs, like what you saw earlier, and the effectiveness only lasts three days at most.” Eiulj explained briefly.

I don’t really understand but I guess it’s dangerous. Teiyninya thought to herself while crossing her arms and thinking deeply.

“I completely understand.”

“No, you don’t. I presume you only understood that it was a dangerous drug.”

Teiyninya only looked to the side and scratched her cheek, admitting Eiulj hit the mark.

“Just follow my instructions for a while longer. A few more and I would have space for new assistants. So, assist me in disposing of the bodies later.”

Both responded in unison once again, confirming they have understood.

The dark, cold halls and corridors only now echoed with footsteps. The screams reduced but now fear engulfs these ‘assistants’ each tacking and ticking they hear from footsteps.